Faker by Sarah Smith (ARC Review)

Title: Faker
Author: Sarah Smith
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
(Penguin Random House)
Date published: October 8, 2019

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Emmie Echavarre is a professional faker. She has to be to survive as one of the few female employees at Nuts & Bolts, a power tool company staffed predominantly by gruff, burly men. From nine to five, Monday through Friday, she’s tough as nails–the complete opposite of her easy-going real self.

One thing she doesn’t have to fake? Her disdain for coworker Tate Rasmussen. Tate has been hostile to her since the day they met. Emmie’s friendly greetings and repeated attempts to get to know him failed to garner anything more than scowls and terse one-word answers. Too bad she can’t stop staring at his Thor-like biceps…

When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity construction project, things get…heated. Emmie’s beginning to see that beneath Tate’s chiseled exterior lies a soft heart, but it will take more than a few kind words to erase the past and convince her that what they have is real.

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I was very excited about reading Faker because the synopsis gave me hate-to-love in the workplace vibes. I also absolutely adore the cover. Once I started reading, I found that I liked Emmie, the female lead, a lot and that Tate definitely sounded handsome. There was also friction between the two characters that I really enjoyed. I also liked that Emmie is from Hawaii since I’ve never read about a character who is from Hawaii before (which makes me think that maybe I need to expand my reading in that sense…)

When it comes to the storyline though, I found that the story didn’t quite go how I expected. I can’t say more than that without giving away some major spoilers. But I will say that because of how some things played out, the overall experience wasn’t completely my cup of tea. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adored some parts and certain aspects of the book, but everything overall just didn’t really do it for me. That being said, I know that some of you will likely love this book, so don’t feel discourages by my review. When it comes down to it, reviews are personal opinions!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Sarah Smith is a copywriter-turned-author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie’s stash of romance novels. She’s been hooked ever since. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and adorable cat Salem. Faker is her debut novel.